How Shapefarm’s retro‑anime, asymmetrical space station puzzler is lining up to be a flagship co‑op exclusive for Nintendo’s next console in 2026.
Orbitals did not get the loudest reveal at The Game Awards 2025, but it might be the one announcement that says the most about what Nintendo wants the Switch 2 to be. A co‑op first, retro‑anime sci‑fi adventure built specifically for two players, Shapefarm’s debut is already positioning itself as a system‑defining exclusive for 2026.
A Switch 2 exclusive that feels tailored to the hardware
Publisher Kepler Interactive and Tokyo‑based studio Shapefarm are bringing Orbitals only to Nintendo’s new machine in 2026, skipping PC and other consoles entirely. That is a confident move for a new IP, and it makes more sense the deeper you look at how the game is designed.
Orbitals runs in Unreal Engine 5 and is built around a mix of local and online co‑op that leans into everything Nintendo is touting for Switch 2. Local split‑screen is there for classic couch sessions, but Shapefarm is also using Nintendo’s new GameShare feature so a second player can join in on their own system without everyone owning a copy. For online play, Nintendo’s GameChat voice system is baked in, which should make coordinating puzzle solutions far smoother than wrestling with a separate app.
Instead of feeling like a last‑gen port that happens to land on Nintendo hardware, Orbitals looks like it is using the extra power and online infrastructure to push a specific kind of two‑player experience. If Nintendo wants early proof that Switch 2 can support modern online features while keeping its trademark focus on local multiplayer, this is exactly the sort of exclusive it needs.
Asymmetrical co‑op as the heart of the experience
Orbitals is not just a game where two people do the same thing at the same time. It is a genuinely asymmetrical co‑op adventure built around the relationship between its leads, Maki and Omura. These rookie explorers are stuck on a damaged space station slowly being torn apart by a supernatural cosmic storm. Saving it means venturing out into debris fields, docking with derelict modules and touching down on strange planetoids to scavenge what they need.
Each character has distinct tools and responsibilities, and the station‑saving structure leans into that difference. One player may be charting safe flight paths through swirling wreckage while the other manipulates gravity panels and power grids. Outside the station, one might be tethered to the hull, manually stabilising a module, while the other is back on the bridge juggling life support, communications and sensor readouts.
Because the puzzles are built around these split viewpoints, communication is not optional. It is the game. You call out readings, describe patterns you can see on your side of the station, time thruster burns and coordinate when to cut power to one sector so another can come online. When it clicks, the solution feels like something the two of you actually discovered together rather than a single player dragging a partner along.
Station‑saving puzzles that build tension
Structurally, Orbitals is about repeatedly pulling this space station back from the brink. Each scenario plays out like a contained disaster episode. A new surge in the cosmic storm knocks out some critical system or shears away part of the outer ring, and you and your co‑pilot have to race to stabilise the situation before it cascades into total failure.
That gives Shapefarm an excuse to constantly remix objectives and environments. One mission might ask you to reroute power through half‑melted conduits while piloting service drones across broken walkways. Another could send the pair of you on a risky excursion to an orbiting research pod, threading your shuttle through spinning debris while your partner monitors shield integrity and engine temperatures.
Because the space station is both your home and your primary puzzle board, every successful save feels personal. The retro‑anime presentation leans into that, framing missions with cutscenes that show Maki and Omura bickering, panicking and celebrating like the cast of a classic Saturday morning sci‑fi series. You are not just beating a level; you are keeping this found‑family tin can alive against impossible odds.
A love letter to 90s anime
Visually, Orbitals wears its influences proudly. Shapefarm describes it as a classic retro anime universe and the footage so far backs that up completely. There are chunky space station silhouettes, bright primary colors over inky starfields and character designs that would not have looked out of place in a late‑night VHS OVA.
The studio has partnered with Japanese team Studio Massket to produce hand‑drawn cutscenes that stitch the station emergencies together. Those sequences look like they were lifted straight from an unseen 90s sci‑fi series, right down to the way characters overreact with big, expressive poses and slightly exaggerated facial animation.
Orbitals will feature full Japanese and English VO, so players can lean into the vibe they grew up with, whether that meant importing laserdiscs or watching dubbed late‑night TV blocks. Combined with Unreal Engine 5’s lighting and particle effects, the result is an interesting blend of crisp modern rendering and deliberately nostalgic anime framing.
Built for both couch co‑op and online play
Nintendo consoles have always shined brightest when groups of people gather around a TV, and Orbitals looks ready to carry that tradition forward on Switch 2 while finally treating online play as a first‑class citizen.
On the couch, the Joy‑Con 2 support makes it easy to slip the system out of its dock, hand a controller half to a friend and start patching hull breaches together. The asymmetrical roles mean both players are immediately doing something unique and important, which should help keep newer or less confident players engaged instead of trailing behind.
For long‑distance partnerships, the built‑in GameChat voice support means those frantic calls for help and last‑second countdowns do not rely on external apps or workarounds. Co‑op puzzle games live or die on clear communication. Building that directly into the platform, and then designing a game that expects you to talk constantly, feels like the right kind of showcase for Nintendo’s new online ambitions.
Even the GameShare functionality plays into this. Letting a friend drop in from their own Switch 2 without everyone buying a copy is the sort of frictionless design that can turn a niche co‑op experiment into something that spreads through friend groups on word of mouth alone.
Why Orbitals feels like a potential flagship
Orbitals is not a massive open world or a competitive live‑service platform. It is something more focused and arguably more aligned with what has always made Nintendo hardware feel special. A tight, character‑driven co‑op experience built around laughing, shouting and solving problems together fits naturally alongside the company’s history with series like Mario, Kirby and Splatoon.
At the same time, the game’s retro‑anime presentation and use of Unreal Engine 5 plant a flag that Switch 2 can handle more than cute mascots and simple party games. It is a visually stylish, network‑aware exclusive that uses new features like GameChat and GameShare in ways that actually affect the design.
If Shapefarm can stick the landing on its asymmetrical puzzles and keep the station‑saving scenarios feeling fresh across a full campaign, Orbitals has every chance to become the kind of co‑op staple that lives on the home screen for an entire generation of Switch 2 owners. It feels like the rare reveal that not only looks cool in a trailer but also quietly defines what a console wants to be.